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Just In Case

By Corinne Rodrigues on April 14, 2012

This morning the earth shook – literally! We experienced a minor tremor in Mumbai. What was the first thing I did? I rushed to change out of my pajamas – just in case we had to run out of our apartment. I was certainly not going to be running down the street in my night clothes!

Laughing at myself, I began to think about all the just-in-case things I do. I always go to the toilet just before leaving the house. I have a sip of water just before leaving home. My pencil case has a scissors, a stapler, staple pins, two erasers, four pens, five pencils…..just in case! Not to mention the emergency supply of toiletries in my handbag.

When I was working, my colleague would always tease me about my handbag – it was full of just-in-case stuff….needle and thread, safety pins, marker pens (I had a training company). He’d sometimes say to me: ‘I’m feeling hungry, do you have a burger in there?’

From Harold's Planet

When I’m travelling, the just-in-case list gets bigger and bigger – much to my husband’s amusement. However, when we do have to use some ’emergency’ supply of mosquito repellent or stitch on a button – then I have the last laugh.

Like this:

A lover of words. A self-acceptance blogger. A blogging coach. A book reviewer. A woman happily journeying through midlife, moving from self-improvement to self-acceptance and enjoying being herself.
Corinne writes at Everyday Gyaan, reviews fiction at CorinneRodrigues.com and encourages writers and bloggers at Write Tribe and offers offline coaching to writers and bloggers at The Frangipani Creative, located in Secunderabad, India.

OMG Corinne! I would have freaked as my ‘just in case’ bag is empty at the moment LOL.
I have always been an avid buyer of candles…tall ones, thin ones, floating ones…it doesn’t matter as long as it has a wick and will burn. My husband, on the other hand, didn’t see the sense in it all. He continuously picked on me about it [in a loving way] and constantly ask me ‘why?’ I told him, someday we may need them if the electricity goes out for any length of time. He would just chuckle at me.
About 10 years ago, our electricity went out for over a week due to an ice storm. It was so very cold. We had our son and our little girl we had to think about keeping warm and feeding, not to mention my father. You would be surprised at how warm candles can keep a room! I burned up about 15 years of candle-storing in a week! Now, when we are shopping I grab a couple of candles. When he gives me that grin, I tell him: “you know honey…just in case we need them” LOL

So glad you are all right! I don’t carry much just in case stuff anymore. I don’t even carry a purse. I always have my ID, health card, credit card, cell phone, and that’s about it. If we expand to what is usually in my car, then we’ll add some snack food, headache medicine, water, and dental floss! Loved the post and all the comments!

I hope the earth has calmed down and there wasn’t too much damage in the more fragile parts of the city. I have family in Christchurch and know how unsettling it is to live in a city that shakes.

Also thank you for the retweets on my review of ‘Shantaram’, I did wonder what you made of it and indeed what locals thought of it when it came out. I have just discovered another book which I would love to read, the perspectives of 4 women living in Bombay, I felt I needed an alternative viewpoint and a female one at that. The book is called ‘The World we Found’ by Umrigar Thrity. Have you heard anything of it also?

That is SO funny as it is EXACTLY the way I function!!
My handbag is ALWAYS huge and SO heavy because of the “just in case”.
Since I love to stay in pajama as long as I’m home, My pajama’s are usually jogging suits. I have this habit since the war because we always had to run to the shelter. So i don’t wear normal pajamas since that time.
As for my handbag: wet wipes, deodorant, perfume, hair brush, tooth brush, hair clips, sunglasses (not the ones I use, those are just in case, mine broke), needle to repair cloth if something happen, scissors, pens, paper, note book, a book, a sudoku, etc…..

Corinne, you mean pajama pants is not standard wear for running out of the house in case of an earthquake? hee hee! I loved this post! Your “just in case” sounds very much like my sister’s, “Take this with you, because you never know.” Oh my goodness! She too hauls everything under the sun in her bag. I’m afraid I don’t take anything with me other than the house keys and a form of ID. I really should follow your lead! 🙂

OMG, Corinne, you’re so much like me. I nodded to almost everything you’ve said. The list is endless . . . I guess women are always better prepared. I like it that way as we ultimately become providers of stuff. Isn’t that lovely.

You brought a smile to my face this Sunday morning lol. When we shoot a wedding we have a bag of just in case stuff!! All for the wedding party, just in case !!! Tissues, scissors, white out ( does wonders to hide a lipstick stain on a wedding dress, a brides mom taught us that one), Aspirin, gaffers tape ( both for the photographers and to do emergency work on the groomsmen’s jackets!!

Thanks again for the laugh !!Just made me think another good topic would be what would we grab first if we had to leave our house in afire !!!

I love what’s in your emergency bag – I would never have thought of half that stuff – but I guess experience teaches you that! I too was thinking about the fire question when I wrote this one, Jim. Thank you.

Hi Corinne,
This reminds me of my mom. She’s also a very organized person. She has a list of all the things that should go in every bag, cabinet, drawer and room. I’m not quite as thorough as she is but when I still had my day job, I used to get teased a lot because of the assortment of just in case things in my large bag.
I have a great fear of fire so I keep all my important documents, my old albums and all other important stuff in one box so I can quickly pick it up just in case.

My just -in-case bag has recently become one of diapers, bottles, babywipes and extra clothes, (them and me). I have always kept water in the trunk of my car, an extra pair of shoes and a jacket. I have many writing implements and notepaper, of course I rarely if ever leave home without my camera. I also have a very nice utility knife that never leaves my bag and an extra pair of glasses..

First of all I’m so grateful that you are alright. Earthquakes can be devastating.
I love your just in case supplies. Most of mine are the same as yours except I carry hand sanitizer just in case I touch something yucky;) My mother was the queen of just in case. She always had candy, scissors, a tape measure, screwdriver and a tiny hammer. She did NOT have lipstick, a hairbrush, or any vanity items. She was a tough cookie mostly interested in finding out how things worked;)

The hand sanitizer is in the car. I’m careful not to use too much after I read that overuse might cause resistance to antibiotics. You’re Mom must have really been tough, Leah – what with carrying a hammer and all! 😉

I feel like I’m reading about my mom, Corinne LOL When I was still in med school and would go on a 24-hour duty, I always made sure I had water, candy (in case I don’t get to eat on time, which was usually the case haha!), energy drink (just in case I had to stay awake the whole night, again usually the case LOL), my own blanket (just in case there isn’t any in the room where interns-on-duty sleep, where the air conditioner is in full blast and the room is as cold as the North pole), toiletries, laptop, and celphone. Yep, i carried a HUGE bag every time I went on duty haha! 😀

Hello Corinne.
Your just in case sounds like my wife. She’s the most organized person I know.
She always carries around pen, paper, tissues, emergency contact numbers, a list of medicines we take. She has safety pins attached to her keys, which have actually come in handy. She has all our important documents and passports in a waterproof container that we can just grab. Just recently, she packed a small pilot case of clothes and travel-size toiletries in case we have to evacuate at short notice. She even has flashlights that don’t require any batteries, you just shake or wind up and boom…instant light…I never would have thought of that one! (Lol) She’s always telling me one can never be too prepared. Reading the other comments, I can see she has a point. Great post. Thanks for sharing.

Corinne, you sound like me! I always keep a stash of stuff in my purse. From safety pins, to female items (smile) and napkins and sometimes plastic forks if I will be out all day. You never know when you run across a food fair here in NYC. I love the Harold’s Planet image. A smile is the best thing to carry, just in case. Cheers and hugs!

This made me laugh so as I visioned you running down the street in your pajamas LOLOL….. my phone is my just in case ..always carry thing.. like a lifeline LOLOL..you can write..you can call blah blah blah…glad you are safe…As always….XOXOXOXOXO

This post reminded me of Marion Keyes’s novel, ‘Sushi For Beginners’. I am just in cases too. I hate to be caught without, you know just in case. I probably don’t carry anything different from you. I am never without aspirin or Tums. The most mysterious item in my collection of just in case is probably a pair of flash eye lashes. A woman never knows when they might come in handy. 🙂

My ‘just in case bag’ holds battery chargers for camera & phone, several books (because I don’t know when I might be stranded or what I will be in the mood to read), feminine products (remember ‘Cougarliciousness’???), toothbrush & paste.

I’m seeing a pattern here about understanding people’s priorities (or fears?) by virtue of peeking into their ‘just in case’ bag 😉

LOL
Corinne.. trust me, I was so so sooo happy happy to read your handbag story … It’s the same as mine. My colleagues go to the extent of saying, one day we have to see what Punam keeps in her handbag,.. to know why its always so heavy. 🙂
I can tick off ur items.. so there u go.. u have got company!
😛

Oh, I can’t imagine living where I have to fear the shaking of the earth. However, we do live in “Dixie Alley” known for fierce thunderstorms and tornadoes, and there have been plenty of times when we have made a mad dash to our basement.
So, what do I grab? My purse, of course, my Bible and prayer book, cell phone, and Danny’s camera. We already have emergency lights and radio downstairs.
Your post has made me think that it might not be a bad idea to have other emergency items stored in our basement, like bottled water, extra toothbrushes, contact case and solution (for me), tissue, etc.
Thanks for this great post, Corinne!
Blessings!

Generally we’re not at risk of earthquakes, Martha, so this was a little unusual but not exactly unexpected because of recent seismic activity in Indonesia. So in many ways, we’re not generally prepared for stuff like this. If my post, made you think about keeping emergency supplies, I’m glad that it did 🙂

Well, living in Japan, we have a massive collection of just-in-case stuff from food to blankets and everything in-between. I have learned to always have at least 1 roll of toilet paper in the car too, especially here in Japan! Yeah, whenever we have an earthquake I always go run to change out of my night clothes,lol. I think it is better to be over-prepared…if there is such a thing rather than not have something. Great post & it serves as a good reminder just in case there is an emergency.

Hmmm…I find this amusing 🙂 You’re always prepared. You reminded me of that time when I was in Italy and earthquakes were pretty common at that time. I slept all dressed and ready to go just in case, it happens at night 😛

However, over the years that passed, I began putting away things from my bag. I’d travel light and my friends would often tease me that I’m no longer a ‘girl scout’. I think this ‘just in case’ has been replaced with ‘whatever there is’.

Lately, however, I’ve been thinking of writing my sister a letter to recover my passwords to my social networking sites, you know just in case and to save important numbers of my intimate friends. Oh well, LOL…whatever…

I must say that you are a lot more prepared than I am! I do tend to keep “just in case” things in my purse…like tweezers in case the kids get a sliver at the park and of course toiletries …you just never know!